The Great Devourer
by EMPFangirl02
Summary: They're back! Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane and Nya return to the wizarding world to face their latest challenge in the sequel to the Dooms Day Clock: The Great Devourer. Contains a little Jay x Nya.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Back to School

"Kai! Wake up!" My sister called.

I groaned. "What is it?"

She barged into my room. "Look!"

I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes. Nya was holding a plain envelope with fancy green ink saying her name and address. Suddenly, I was wide-awake. "Nya, you got your letter!" I hoped she would, but I had no idea how these things worked. "That's awesome!" I gushed.

Nya smiled proudly. "I can't wait."

Wizarding school was starting up again in April. Last year, it was lonely without my sister, even with my friends. I felt so much better knowing my little sister was going to come with me this time.

"I'll help you buy your supplies."

She made a face. "I can do it myself."

I frowned at her. "Come on, we can go together. Besides, I have to get my supplies too."

"Alright," she agreed.

That afternoon was spent going to a special store, called Steep Wisdom, indicated on the map in the letter. There, we bought everything from a wand to schoolbooks. Nya wanted to buy an owl, but I told her we didn't have enough money. All of this was coming out of my own limited pockets and I still had to buy new books for my second year.

After we were done shopping, we ate at next door at Omakase. I was unsure about it at first, because the chief chose the meal, but the sushi was delicious. Nya and I talked about school and what to expect. She had heard about my adventures with the Celestial Clock, but she had so many other questions about things like the dormitories and teachers and classwork.

"What house do you think I'll be placed in?" Nya asked.

"That's easy," I replied. "Fire, like me."

She frowned. "You never know. I could be put somewhere else."

I folded my arms. "Don't you want to be in the Fire house?"

She leaned on the table. "I don't know. Fire just doesn't appeal to me, you know?"

No I didn't, but that's okay. Nya is my sister and I was going to support her. "Sure. You ready to go home?"

She pushed her plate away. "Yeah."

We came home arms full and ready for the new school year. April couldn't come soon enough for us. I filled the time by writing letters to Jay, Cole, and Zane. Jay wrote back the most. Nya would sit and watch me, occasionally pointing out some of my mistakes.

At long last, it was April first. Nya and I packed our bags. I also changed into my red fire kimono.

"We're off," I told Karin.

"Goodbye, kids," Karin replied from the kitchen.

I let the door swing shut behind me and joined Nya at the curb. "Let's go." She nodded. I paid for bus fair and we made it to the edge of the city. I thought about the last time we went to the Mountain of a Million Steps together. I told Nya about the veil, so the bare peak didn't surprise her.

We walked to the base of the mountain. I looked for my friends, while Nya sat on her suitcase. She packed way too much stuff in my opinion. It was hard to find three people in a sea of blue, sliver, white, red, and black.

A bit of orange caught my eye. I knew that scarf anywhere. "Jay!" I called while waving my arm wildly. "Over here!"

He spotted me and waved back. Soon he was sitting next to Nya on the suitcase.

"Hello, I'm Jay. Nice to meet you," he said.

"Nya," she replied. Soon, they had a nice conversation going. I couldn't really pay attention, because I had to keep looking for Zane and Cole, but I heard Nya laughing. Before long, I had flagged down Cole.

"How are you doing?" I asked him.

"Fine," he shrugged.

I hesitated a moment before adding. "And your father?"

He grinned. "The secret's still safe. Although," Cole paused while he reached into the folds of his kimono and pulled out a camera. "He wants me to take pictures."

I frowned. "How are you going to make that work?"

Cole sighed. "I have no idea."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "We'll help you."

"Thanks," he replied.

We looked for Zane together. I put my hand over my eyes to try to see better, but I couldn't spot his flat top of pale hair. Cole wasn't having much luck either.

"Hello, friends," Zane said from behind us.

I started for the umpteenth time. He always had to show up out of nowhere. It also didn't help that his approach was pretty much silent.

"Don't do that, Zane!" Cole snapped.

He blinked, but didn't respond. "I sense that school will be starting soon."

I turned back toward the mountain. Sure enough, Mistaké was descending down the staircase.

"Come with me," she called. All the students began to flock to the narrow staircase.

"Let's go, Nya," I called.

She abruptly ended her conversation with Jay and stood up. He looked disappointed. Jay slid off the suitcase and picked it up for Nya.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly.

"Come on, you two," Cole called over his shoulder. Nya took the suitcase and scrambled to catch up with me, leaving Jay in the dust. We began the long ascent up the steps.

* * *

After an hour, we passed through the veil and wooden doors greeted us.

Nya stopped beside me. "Whoa."

"Pretty cool, right?" I asked her.

She nodded silently. I chuckled as I remembered the first time I came to school. It seemed so big and impressive. I smiled as we walked through a courtyard filled with cherry blossoms.

When we got to the dining hall, the five of us parted ways. I felt bad leaving Nya on her own in the crowd of first years, but rules are rules. I sat at my house table far away from Chen, who was talking obnoxiously about his expensive vacation.

I tuned out the noise around me and focused on my sister. She saw me watching and straightened her back. I gave her an encouraging smile. The sorting should start soon. Nya nodded to acknowledge me.

Mistaké gave her first year speech and the people with last names starting with 'A' came forward. I propped my head in my hand and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I groaned. We were only in the L's. This could take forever. Were we going to have to go through this every year?

I mindlessly clapped as another student joined the Fire House. I just wished we could get to the U's and be done with it.

"Nya Umas," Mistaké read.

Yes! I watched as she made her was up to the sorting hat. Nya put it on. I held my breath. _Please say fire. Please say fire,_ I chanted in my mind.

"Water!" The hat announced.

I sighed. I guess Nya and I were going to be in different houses after all. Nya sent me a sympathetic glance as she sat down with her table. I wondered why everyone I cared about was in a different house than me, and the people who annoyed me the most—I looked over at Chen—were in Fire instead.

Once everyone was sorted, Wu gave his annual reminder. We weren't to go swimming in the koi pond and Mr. Dareth wanted to make sure that people didn't litter in the courtyards, as it made his job harder. After that, the feast began.

I finished eating before everyone else. I didn't have a huge appetite. I wanted to be with my sister. Or laugh with my friends about the koi pond reminder. I'm sure Cole was cringing during that part. Last year, the fish had nearly killed him. I sighed.

"Hey, you there," Chen called. I glanced up tiredly. Chen was standing in front of me with a smug look on his face. I couldn't believe he walked to the other end of the long table just to make fun of me.

"Not now, Chen, I'm not in the mood."

Chen laughed. "Not in the mood? Well, too bad, because I am. Was that little runt with that ugly black bob your sister?"

My hands balled into fists. No one made fun of Nya. "Leave her out of this."

Chen smirked. "That worthless thing? Don't worry, now that's she's in the repulsive Water House, she'll be far away from _this_ ," he mocked.

I gritted my teeth together. "Don't you say another word about my sister," I warned.

"Or else what?" Chen leaned forward.

I wished I could punch his smug face. Instead I pulled out my wand.

His eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare,"

"Insult my sister again," I tapped his chest with my wand, "and I will."

"Not in front of the teachers," Chen replied smugly.

I glared at him. "Try me."

"Fire House, follow me. The Feast is over now. Time to head back to the common room," the fire prefect said.

I reluctantly put my wand away. Chen grinned triumphantly, but said nothing. I trailed at the end of the line to avoid him. One of these days, I was going to make Chen pay for the things he said about Nya.

I climbed the stairs of the boys' dormitory and set my stuff down. I looked around. My room hadn't changed since last year. I unpacked my things and got ready for bed. Even though I wasn't that tired, I had a big day tomorrow, since classes would start up, and I wanted to be ready. I was going to out do Chen, not for myself, but for my sister.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoy this next installment! It will be about 12 chapters.


	2. Chapter 2-School Again

Great Devourer-Chapter 2-School Again

* * *

The next day, I picked up my schedule and headed to my first class. This year, I had DADA first. Professor Ronin didn't look too happy. It seems the teachers didn't like coming off break that much. He told us to pull out our books and read the first chapter. I sighed.

Reading was my least favorite part of school. Well, it was a toss up between that and writing essays. At one point I looked up. Ronin wasn't even paying attention to us. He was looking at a newspaper. I tried to see what he was reading, but I couldn't make out the words from where I was sitting. I gave up and went back to reading about curses and how to deflect them.

Potions, Transfigurations, and History of Magic were more of the same. Although the professors seemed to be in a better mood, we still had to do a bunch of reading. In Charms, however, Master Yang had us do a review of all the spells we had learned last year.

Since we hadn't been allowed to perform actual magic over break, I was rusty. At least I wasn't the only one. Most of the students in the class were struggling to perform the spells up to Yang's expectations. All expect for Zane, of course, who was pulling off each spell beautifully.

"See, this is what you all should be doing!" Yang yelled at us. "Watch how Mr. Julian flicks his wand instead of waving it wildly. Learn from him, and you just might pass this class."

The class mumbled and cast secret glares at Zane. He simply ignored them, or just didn't notice. At the end of class, Professor Yang graded our performance. I got a 65%.

I noticed Chen got a 59. I smirked. He didn't even pass. I was elated as I headed to the cafeteria. My plan was to pick up Nya and head to the library afterwards.

We chatted all the way to lunch. Apparently, Professor Yang hated members of the Water House because he was a ghost. Just one powerful blast, and the irritable teacher would be gone forever. I laughed. I didn't know the Sensei had such a small weakness. It was bad for Nya though, because he was extra hard on her group.

However, Charms class hadn't put a damper on my sister's spirit at all. She loved Neuro's demonstration of transfiguration. Nya couldn't wait to preform that spell. I warned her that it was a lot harder than it looked. She shrugged me off and kept talking about her other classes.

I entered the library and sat down in our usual spot. I saw that Zane had already finished his food. I guess we had taken longer to get to the library than I thought. He was engrossed in a thick book.

"Hello, friend," he said without even looking up.

"Hello, Zane. How was your day?" I asked him.

"Excellent. How was your day, Kai?" he turned the page and kept reading.

Zane was amazing. I couldn't believe how well he was multitasking. "It was fine. Charms class was brutal though."

"Really?" he asked. "I thought it was quite simple."

I shook my head. "For you maybe."

I sat down across from Zane and Nya sat down next to me. I took a bite of my sandwich when Jay arrived.

"Did Professor Yang make you do that review of the spells too?" I nodded.

"I completely failed!" Jay complained. "I got a 30%! 30 percent!"

I nearly choked on my food. "You did that bad?"

Jay plopped down on my other side. "I was never good at charms to begin with," he moaned. "Now, I'm going to fail."

Nya joined the conversation. "Seems like Professor Yang is cruel to all of us."

Jay looked over in surprise. "What did he do to you?"

She told him about how Yang deliberately called her out in front of everyone, just because she was in the Water House.

Jay cried in outrage. "How could he do that to you?! Why, when I seem him next I'll—"

"Do what?" Cole said. He stood with a massive tray of food. Now I knew what had taken him so long. "Yang's a teacher remember?"

Jay looked down. "Oh yeah." Then his resolve hardened. "Still, there has to be something…"

Nya giggled at Jay's antics. He blushed in response. I watched their interaction. Did Jay like my sister? No, that was ridiculous. Jay complained about a lot of things. This conversation over Yang was just an extension of that. But I couldn't forget how he was next to Nya on the suitcase before school started.

Cole took a huge bite of cake. "What class do you have next?" He asked with his mouth full.

I grimaced. Cole had no manners. I pulled out my schedule. "Elemental Magic."

"I too have Elemental Magic," Zane replied from behind his book.

Jay sighed. "I have Potions."

Nya chimed in as well. "Magic and Technology."

"What about you, Cole?" I asked.

"I've got Magical History," he replied.

The bell rang and we headed out to our next classes. "Have a nice day, Nya," I said to her before I turned down the hallway.

Nya grinned at me. "You too. See ya."

I gave her a half wave. "See you later."

* * *

In Elemental Magic, I found that the desks had been replaced with thin mats. In front of each mat was a pot of tea. Typical Master Wu. I sat down on a mat next to Zane.

"Hello, students," Master Wu said.

I craned my neck to look at him. He always entered from the back of the classroom, making it next to impossible to look at him.

"You will notice that only the Fire and Ice house are in this class," Master Wu continued as made his way to the front of the room.

I looked around. It was true. Only red and white kimonos could be seen in the room.

"You will be working together with the other house. Today, those in Fire will heat up the tea, without breaking the pot," Wu instructed.

I looked at the clay pot in front of me. If I used too much fire, it would crack. Too little, and the water wouldn't boil. I frowned. I barely mastered using my elemental power last year. How was I going to do this task?

"Once heated, the members of the ice house will freeze the water, including the steam, without getting ice on the tea pot itself," Wu went on.

One of the members of the Ice House raised her hand. "What is the purpose of this exercise, Master?" she asked politely.

Wu turned to her and smiled kindly. "The purpose, Maria, is to practice control over your powers."

Maria nodded and fixed her attention on the teapot.

"If there are no more questions," Master Wu began, "then you may get started." With that, he sat down and sipped a cup of tea.

I rubbed my hands together, feeling the heat build up. A flame sprouted on the top of my fingers. I smiled. I've still got it. Zane watched me apply the heat to the pot.

The fire began to die out. At this rate, the water wasn't going to boil. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I imagined the flame growing larger, and poured my energy into the little orange ball.

 _CRACK!_

Hot water spilled into my lap. I opened my eyes. I had applied too much heat, too quickly. The clay pot couldn't take it. I sighed.

Zane raised his hand and asked for another pot. Master Wu gave us one and I tried again. That pot met a tragic end as well. So did the next one. And the pot after that…

I panted and glared at the ceramic shards. Why was Elemental Magic so difficult? Class was nearly over.

"I'm sorry, Zane," I said. "You won't get to practice your ice."

"Incorrect," Zane replied. I looked at him in disbelief. He held out his hand and started freezing my puddle on the floor. I watched the water harden slowly but surely. Zane continued on, careful to avoid the shards of pottery. At last, the water was completely frozen.

"Amazing," I said.

Zane shook his head. "Incorrect." I didn't get it. He pointed to a shard of pottery. "I froze the clay."

I laughed in disbelief. There was only a tiny amount of ice. I wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't pointed it out.

"You did better than me," I told him.

The bell rang and it was time for us to go to our next class. I was going to have to practice more if I wanted to succeed in Elemental Magic.

I listened to Cyrus Borg lecture about how magic could power technological devices. I remembered most of this from last year, but I took notes anyway. He showed us how he used unicorn hair wires in his wheelchair, so he could control the device with a simple flick of his wand. Borg wanted us to build a similar device by the end of next week.

I wandered by the general area of the Water dorms and waited for Nya. I wanted to ask her how the rest of her day went. I waited for a about an hour and she still didn't show up. I wondered if Nya had gone up to the common room before I got there, but I didn't think so. I wondered what was taking her so long.

My sister was usually punctual. Could she be getting dinner? No, that shouldn't take an hour. Where could she be? Now I was worried. I had no way to contact her. No way to figure out where she was. I didn't even have an idea of where to start looking.

I started panicking. This was a big school. Even with the map, it was easy to get lost. And there were dangerous places like the hall with the stone warriors. What if Nya was hurt? I had to make sure she was all right. I started running. It didn't matter where I was going, but I just had to find my sister.

I turned down hallway after hallway, passed courtyard after courtyard and still no sign of her. This wasn't working. I couldn't find one person in a massive school like this, certainly not by myself.

I was going to need back up.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3-Missing

Chapter 3: Missing

I knew I could find Zane in the library. If he wasn't reading, he was either in class or in bed. And since it was only six o'clock, I wasn't disappointed. He had finished the book he was reading at lunch and had started another.

"Zane, thank goodness you're here," I said.

He looked up at the urgent tone in my voice. "Kai?"

I quickly told him about Nya. "Do you have any spells or something that could help us find her?" I asked hopefully.

Zane thought for a minute. "No…"

I sighed.

"But I have heard of the Homonculous Charm. If casted correctly onto a map, it shows all the people in that area."

"That's amazing! Can you do that?" I asked eagerly.

Zane shook his head. "It is an advanced spell that I do not have the skill to cast."

I sighed. "Then what should we do?" I asked hopelessly. I needed to find Nya.

"Perhaps if the others where here, we could search more effectively," Zane suggested.

I guess we had no choice. I had a pretty good idea of where to find Cole. "Let's go to the kitchen."

Zane nodded and let me lead the way. I doubted he had ever been to the kitchen. The bookworm would never have a reason too. As I ran down the hallways, I remembered the first time Cole showed me the kitchen. I almost smiled at the thought. Almost. Nya came first.

I burst into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was Cole eating a bunch of cake.

"Cole!" I shouted.

He stopped eating and brushed the crumbs away from his mouth in an almost guilty manner.

"What?" Cole asked.

I explained the situation to him. "We thought if we got more people together, we would have a better chance of finding Nya."

Cole frowned. "Did you check the dining hall?"

"The dining hall?" What was Cole saying? "Why would she be there?"

Cole looked at the time. "Getting dinner," he answered.

I sighed. I felt ridiculous. "No."

Cole sighed and pushed himself off the counter. "I'll check it out with you."

He was a great friend. Zane came with too. When we got to the dinning hall, there was no sign of Nya anywhere. In fact, it was mostly empty. Most people took dinner to go instead of eating in the hall.

I did see a familiar orange scarf though. "Jay!"

He looked up in surprise. I waved him over to where the others and I were standing.

"What is it, Kai?" Jay asked.

His eyes widened as I told him we couldn't find Nya anywhere.

"Is she alright?" Jay asked, with panic in his voice.

I sighed. "I don't know. That's why we're looking for her."

"I'll come with you," Jay said eagerly.

Again, I wondered about the feelings between Jay and my sister. But I didn't have time to worry about them.

"Great. Let's go," I said. The four of us checked all the regular student hangouts. Nothing.

My heart thudded in my chest. Where was she?

Jay was getting frantic. "Do you think Nya got lost? Or was kidnapped? What if she got attacked by those statues?"

"I'm sure she's fine, Jay," Cole snapped.

He stuttered. "Are you sure? We've looked everywhere."

Terrible scenarios swirled through my brain. The four of us came to a halt. _Think, Kai, Think!_ I thought. _If I where Nya, where would I be?_ I shook my head and tried to clear it. Cole and Jay were having an argument in the background. No good. I had no ideas. She could be anywhere by now.

"I believe we should look over there," Zane suggested. I followed his gaze to a narrow corridor tucked away between two classrooms.

I had no better ideas, so I led the group down the hallway. The further we went, the darker it got. Jay had grabbed onto my shoulder. I didn't have the heart to shrug him off. I lit a fire in my other hand to try to shed some light. Instead, I created monsters: Shadows that loomed on the walls, materializing just ahead.

Jay's grip on my shoulder tightened. I could hear his teeth chattering, and feel his hot breath on my neck. Zane slid ominously at my side with Cole taking up the rear.

At last, we came out on the other side. This hallway had a single light dangling from the ceiling. I saw that it was less of hallway and more of an open, circular room with nothing in it. Then I realized we were by the Potions Wing. I let out a small sigh of relief. From here, we just had to go up a flight of stairs and we would be back in the main monastery building.

Jay squeezed my shoulder. Now that we were out of that creepy hallway, I pushed his hand away. He looked horrified.

"What is it, Jay?" I snapped.

He pointed toward the far wall. "Look," he whispered.

The others turned before I did. I heard Cole gasp and watched Zane's eyes widen. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. When I looked, my stomach lurched.

A message was written on the wall. The letters were red, and looking closer, I could tell it was written in blood. It said:

 _The Great Devourer has been released. Enemies of the heir, beware._

"What's the Great Devourer?" Cole wondered out loud.

Jay backed up a few steps. "It can't be anything good. Maybe we should get out of here."

I agreed with him. "It doesn't look like Nya's here anyway."

We edged out of the room. I turned my back on the message and nearly ran into Mistaké. I jumped back just in time.

"Sorry, Professor," I said.

The old lady frowned. "What are you four doing here?"

We looked at each other. By silent consent, we decided not to mention the message.

"We're looking for my sister," I replied.

The others nodded. Mistaké folded her arms. "In the Potions wing?"

I shifted uneasily. How do I explain what happened? Fortunately, Cole spoke for me.

"We took a short cut."

The professor didn't look convinced. She peered into the room we just left and gasped. I had never seen Mistaké look so upset.

"Boys, did you do this?"

We all shook our heads.

"What does it mean, Professor?" Zane asked.

She didn't answer. "I need to speak to Wu at once. You boys go back to your dormitories."

"But Nya—" Jay began to protest.

"Will be fine," Mistaké snapped. "Now go."

We scurried away from her. Once the cranky professor was out of earshot, we paused in the corridor.

"You don't think the Great Devourer got Nya, do you?" Jay asked.

Terror gripped my heart. I imagined her, all alone, being eaten by some horrible beast.

"That's ridiculous, Jay," Cole said.

"Did you see the expression on Mistaké's face?" Jay continued.

"She looked…" I couldn't describe the mixture of emotions that had appeared for a brief instant.

"Afraid." Zane summed up for me.

I thought about the lines that crossed the professor's forehead and the way her eyes widened at the blood. I guess she was scared. But the old woman was so strong. Nothing fazed her. What was this Great Devourer? And where on earth was Nya?

"Boys!" Mistaké called. "Don't make me drag you to your rooms."

I flushed with embarrassment. "Yes, ma'am," I called back.

"We'll look again tomorrow," Cole promised.

I nodded. "See you guys in the morning."

I went to up to bed. I tossed and turned thinking of my little sister. Energy pulsed through my veins. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a Nya in corner, hiding from the Great Devourer. I couldn't stand waiting. Morning wouldn't be able to come soon enough for me.

At last, sleep took me.

* * *

AN: sorry this one was so short-the next one will be longer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Victims

* * *

The next morning, I had no appetite. I was tempted to skip breakfast all together and keep looking for Nya. I passed the dining hall and glanced inside. I gasped. I saw a little black bob at the Water table.

I ran up to her. "Nya! Where have you been?"

She turned to face me. "In my dorm." Expecting the conversation to be over, she turned back to her food.

But I wasn't done yet. "You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry," she replied. "I just went to bed early."

I frowned. Nya's tone was getting on my nerves. "Well, as long as you're okay."

"I'm fine."

I got the feeling she didn't want to talk anymore. Sighing, I went back to my table. Maybe I'll ask her more about it at lunch. I finished my breakfast and headed to DADA. Ronin was still in his bad mood. He snapped every time someone asked a question and his face was fixed in a permanent frown. I sighed and continued practicing my spell. I could tell today was going to be a long day.

Time seemed to drag on during Potions. Tomorrow, we were going to start brewing real potions, but for now, we had to read about effects and consequences of drinking potions. Toward the end of class, I stopped reading and started watching the clock. Only 15 more minutes to go…

Then I was taking notes while Neuro lectured on turning animals into glasses. I had no idea how that would be helpful in real life, but oh well. I enjoyed first year transfiguration a lot better. I sat in the back of the class, so the professor couldn't see me. I stopped taking notes and started doodling flames on the sides of the parchment. I couldn't wait for lunch. Unfortunately, I still had still had two more classes to go.

After a couple hours of torture and spell casting, it was finally time for lunch. I strolled past the courtyard to the library like usual, when I noticed a crowd gathering by the koi pond.

Huh. That's strange. The koi fish were viscous monsters that would love to rip your face off. Why would anyone in their right mind go towards there?

I walked toward the pond too. I heard people whispering.

"What's wrong with that fish?"

"Is someone going to tell the teachers?"

"Why is it black?"

"Is it dead?"

I pushed my way to the edge of the crowd. In the center of the pond, a black koi fish was belly up. A flash of scales surrounded it, as though the other fish were concerned for their fallen comrade. I peered closer, and saw that there was two bite marks near the gills.

"Out of my way!" Someone shouted before I could process what was going on. "Brown Ninja coming through!"

Brown Ninja? The guy who kept guarding the library? What was he doing here? The crowd of students parted for the chubby man. He ran right up to the waters edge. Was he nuts? The man kept wading deeper into the pond. He was making strange clicking noises. The weirdest part though was that the koi fish were actually parting for him.

The Brown Ninja swam toward the black fish. "Goldie?" he cried. He checked the koi's pulse. "No, Goldie! Stay with me!" He tried to do CPR on the fish.

I gaped. What on earth?

He glared back at the crowd of students. "Don't just stand there! Get Mistaké. No, Master Wu! Or Both! Goldie's going to die! Do something!"

All the students looked at each other. Was this guy serious? No one cared for the killer fish and it didn't really seem worth bothering the teachers. The Brown Ninja seemed so upset though. It would be cruel to just ignore him. At last, one of the first years went to get someone.

Soon, Master Wu arrived with Yang and Mistaké. I was surprised all three of them came. They looked grave, and even the ghost looked worried at the sight of the black fish. Wu joined the Brown Ninja in water.

"You have to save, Goldie! Please! Don't let her die!" He begged while handing the black fish over to the professor.

Wu took the fish and examined it carefully. "Calm down, Dareth. She's going to be fine."

Dareth breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Wu frowned. "But we will have to make an antidote for the poison."

Dareth gasped. "Poison?"

Wu turned to Mistaké. "How are the Golden Plants doing?"

She replied, "They'll mature next spring."

"That should be enough time, then," Wu said. He set the koi down gently in the water. Dareth stroked her gently.

Wu left the pond and joined the other teachers. "Students, head to lunch now."

The crowd reluctantly began to disperse. I stared at the three professors for as long as I could. They were whispering to each other. Yang waved his hands wildly. Master Wu had his hat tilted down ominously. All of them looked concerned.

What was going on? I continued to watch them for as long as possible before I had to head to the library. The others were probably wondering where I was. I grabbed some food and headed to our usual spot. I saw Zane, Cole, and Jay, but I didn't see Nya.

I wondered if she had trouble finding the library. The school was huge and it was hard to remember how to get around. I relied on my map for several weeks until I finally memorized all the corridors. I'm sure she would come later.

I started eating my lunch. I told my friends all about Dareth and the koi fish.

"It had bite marks in it?" Zane questioned.

I nodded. "It was weird. Two marks right next to each other. Kind of like fang marks."

Zane furrowed his brow in thought.

Jay looked at him nervously. "You don't think it was that Great Devourer, do you? What if we're next?"

"I doubt it, Jay," Cole said between bites of noodles. "You worry too much."

I started thinking out loud. "But Master Wu and the others looked so worried…if it's not the Great Devourer than what was it?"

No one answered. We finished our lunch in silence. The bells rang, and still no Nya. I wondered if she was avoiding me because of this morning. I needed to talk to her. I thought about my little sister on the way to class.

I was still lost in thought during Elemental Magic. I couldn't focus on my teapot and kept breaking it. My Magic and Technology class didn't go much better. My project was coming along terribly.

At last class was over. Now, time to find Nya. Even though it was only in the afternoon, I stood outside the Water Dorm door. This time, I was going to catch Nya before she went to bed.

I waited and waited. Silver kimonos came and went, but none of them belonged to my sister. One night she retired early, and today she was staying up late. Several hours past. I sat down against the wall. The light was fading from the windows. Most people were going to bed by now.

I peered down the corridor. There she was! I pushed myself to my feet. "Nya! There you are! I've been waiting for you!"

She frowned at me. "You don't have to wait for me every night. I can take care of myself."

"I know," I replied. "But I didn't see you at lunch so I got worried."

Nya folded her arms. "I just didn't feel like sitting with you at lunch, that's all."

I didn't get it. Ever since we were little, Nya and I have been inseparable. We spent as much time as possible together. We watched each other's backs. Now that we were both at school, I thought we would be spending most of free time together.

"But we always eat together," I protested weakly.

"I wanted to sit by myself alright! I don't want to spend every minute of every day of my life with you!" She yelled.

I flinched. I had never seen Nya like this before. "I didn't know you felt that way," I said.

"Because you never ask! You always just assume I feel the same way you do. Well, I don't!" With that, she stomped past me up the stairs.

My eyes stung. I sunk down to the floor. We had squabbled before, but not like this. I wondered if something had happened to her to make her upset. That must be it. Nya didn't mean all that stuff she said.

I sighed. It was late. I should probably head to the Fire Dorm. My sister's words echoed in my mind. The reason I never asked how she felt is because I thought we had an unspoken pact when our parents disappeared. After that, I never wanted to leave Nya alone again. I assumed she felt the same way. Maybe I was wrong.

I slipped under the covers and closed my eyes. I just wanted this terrible day to be over. I hoped tomorrow would be better.

 _I was in my yard, not in Karin's cramped apartment lawn, but in my parent's meadow. Nya was ahead of me. I waved to her. She smiled at me and ran ahead. I tried to run after her, but she only laughed and ran faster. I tried to keep up, but it was like my legs were made of lead._

" _Nya!" I called. "Wait up!" Nya must not have heard me because she kept running. We left the yard, and now we were at Master Wu's school. Only we were in a room I had never seen before. I stopped running. I saw a pair of red eyes in the darkness ahead._

 _I gasped. Nya was heading right for them. "Nya!" My voice got caught in my throat. I tried again, but no sound came out. I saw white, gleaming fangs. Each one was the size of my body. My sister didn't stand a chance._

 _I reached out my hand, trying to bring Nya back to me. I had to warn her. She turned around toward me. I gasped. Her eyes had turned red and her skin was dull and gray._

" _Nya,_ _" I croaked._

I woke up in cold sweat. Last time I had a nightmare like this, the Overlord had tried to come back through a golden clock. Was this dream also a premonition of the future? And if it was, what did it mean?

* * *

AN: Tune in for more next week!


	5. Chapter 5-Trouble Brewing

Chapter 5: Trouble Brewing

* * *

I went down to breakfast. I decided to leave Nya alone again, even though it had been several days since our argument. I didn't want to make things worse than they already were between us. I sat down in a spot where I could watch her from a distance without being stalker-ish. I picked at my eggs and sighed.

I hated leaving this tension between Nya and I. It made my insides churn and my heart clench. I wanted to march over to the Water Table and talk about what happened until we could both go back to the way things used to be. But Nya never liked my rash, short-tempered personality. I would only make things worse. I stabbed my eggs with my fork. I hated being so useless.

"Hey, loser!" Chen called from the other table. He sauntered over to my table.

I groaned. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him to show the bully I was not in the mood today.

"Leave me alone."

"You sure are touchy. Could it be that you had a falling out with your precious sister?" Chen mocked.

I gasped. "How did you know that?"

He held out his hands and smirked. "Word travels fast in this school. Did you think you and that little runt were having a private conversation? I heard from one of the other Water students that you were heard from inside the dorm room."

I thought about how loud Nya had yelled. And we were right outside the Water door too. No wonder people heard us. I grit my teeth together and held my wand up higher. There had to be a spell I could use without alerting the teachers.

"Well, it's not surprising. People like you are good for nothing, except as fodder for the Great Devourer. Though, he would probably just spit you out." Chen started laughing.

I got it: The perfect spell for him. I waved my wand and pointed at Chen's throat.

" _Silencio_ _!"_

His grating laughter came to a muffled halt. Chen frowned and then opened his mouth, but no sound came out. I smiled. The Silencing charm was one of the only useful things Professor Yang taught us.

Chen felt his throat uncertainly. He kept trying to talk, but it would be several hours before the spell wore off. And since he couldn't talk, he couldn't tattle on me. Or at least, not right now.

I ignored Chen's silent gestures and went back to my breakfast. At least I felt a little better now. I hoped this day would be better than yesterday.

I walked into class with high expectations. Now that we were doing actual spells, DADA was getting a little better.

Sally went up to perform a spell. Only a small light came out.

"No, no, no!" Ronin yelled. He came over and jerked her hand up a little higher.

"Ouch!" Sally cried. "Let go!"

"You wave your wand like this," he forced her arms to do a flick movement. "Now do it again!" He shoved her arm away and went back behind his desk.

I slumped in my seat. I take it back. DADA had gotten worse now that we were practicing magic. I was glad class ended before it was my turn.

Potions went a little better. My swelling solution wasn't half bad. Mistaké gave it a C+. She said it was too runny. Oh, well. Better luck next time.

I made my way to Neuro's room. The Transfiguration Hallway was a lot more crowded than usual. Since there was only one teacher for each subject, all seven-grade levels had to take turns throughout the day. Therefore, only a set number of students should be in each wing at any given period, about one hundred or so. Today, there was at least twice that number.

I tried to walk past the edge of the crowd to get to class. Neuro would kill me if I arrived late. I ignored the whispers and pushed on. By the time I got to the edge of the crowd, it was almost time for the bell to ring. I sprinted to class. But when I arrived no one was there, including the professor.

I glanced outside and saw Neuro standing in the crowd. Now I was curious. I joined the hoard of students to get a closer look.

"Someone get Master Wu," Neuro commanded. I watched the student go, and then looked back at the professor.

He was stooped over a young girl, probably a first year. Her skin was black, just like the koi fish, and I saw two puncture marks on her hand. The girl looked like she was sleeping. I couldn't believe it.

Within a few minutes, the student came back with Master Wu. Worry lines creased his forehead. He felt the girl's pulse and placed his palm on her forehead to check her temperature. He also lifted the girl's eyelids.

I gasped. Her eyes had turned blood red. Master Wu sighed. "Take her to the Infirmary. Tell Mistaké to harvest the Golden Plants as soon as possible."

Neuro nodded, and picked up the girl bridal style. Wu dismissed the crowd and I went back to class. While I waited for the professor to get back, I thought about everything that happened. First a koi fish, and now a student. What was going on in this school?

A thick cloud descended over the class. The rest of the morning, the whole school seemed to be in shock. When I told my friends about the attack at lunch, they had already heard about it. Word really did spread fast. Zane promised to research the Great Devourer, as well as the symptoms of the victims.

"By the way," Jay asked. "Is Nya ever coming back?"

She had been avoiding the library since our fight. I sighed. "I don't know."

Jay frowned. "I hope she's alright with the Great Devourer on the lose."

It seemed that his worries were unfounded. The next few weeks went by without incident. Soon, everyone but Jay had stopped worrying about the attacks.

At lunch, the Great Devourer was all he could talk about. Meanwhile, Zane spent all of his free time reading about various snakebites and mythical monsters. I ignored both of them. Whatever had been going on seems to have stopped, so I decided not to worry about it. Now that I could breathe a little easier, it was time to face my other problem: Nya.

She never came to the library to eat with us, much to Jay's disappointment. I hardly saw her, but when I did, she refused to make eye contact. I was worried about my sister. She had never acted like this before. But how could I confront her when Nya wouldn't stay in the same room with me, let alone talk to me?

"How do I talk to someone who doesn't want to talk with me?" I asked out loud at lunch.

"Keep talking until they can't ignore you anymore," Jay suggested. "That usually works for me."

I cringed. That would only make things worse. I didn't want to annoy Nya and make her angrier.

"I don't think that will work."

"Write a letter," Cole offered.

I brightened up. "Good idea!"

As soon as class got out, I went straight the Owlery to send Nya a letter. I said I was sorry for making her upset and asked her to meet me in the dining room tonight at seven. I attached the parchment to a Pigmy owl. I hoped this would work. Owls mostly delivered long distance messages.

The Pigmy still took off. I took it as a good sign. I went back to my room and started my homework. Three essays later, it was six o'clock. I leaned back from my desk and stretched. I still had to write three pages for Professor Hutchins, but I couldn't sit still anymore.

I jogged down the corridors to loosen my stiff limbs. By the time I was done, it was six thirty. I walked back toward the dining hall. I figured I could eat dinner while I waited for Nya.

I noticed Cole was in the dining hall too. He was staring at a piece of paper like it was a death sentence. I sat down next to him.

"Hey, Cole. What are you doing here?"

He sighed. "I thought some dinner would help me feel better." He pushed the letter away from him. "But it didn't."

I pulled the letter toward me and glanced over it.

"What's wrong?" I got further down the page. "Oh."

Cole leaned back. "My dad wants the pictures of my music school by next week."

I looked at him in horror. "How are you going to do that?"

"I don't know! I'm stuck."

I thought for a minute. "We'll think of something," I said. "But right now, I'm waiting for Nya."

Cole raised his eyebrows. "I thought you two weren't speaking to each other."

"Yeah, but I took your advice and asked her to meet here at seven. I'm hoping she'll come soon."

Cole turned to look at the clock in the back of the hall. "Well, I wouldn't bet on it. It's already 15 after."

I looked at the entrance. I grin spread across my face. "You don't know my sister like I do, Cole. Here she is."

Nya came inside the dining hall, but stopped before the tables. I guess she was waiting for me to come to her.

"See you tomorrow, Cole."

"See you," he replied.

I took a deep breath and joined my sister. She looked awful. There were black bags under her eyes, and her face looked haggard. Her hair was unkempt, and her silver kimono was wrinkled.

"Hey, Nya," I greeted.

"Hey." Her voice was flat.

"Thanks for meeting me here," I said. "I know you've been avoiding me, but whatever's wrong I want to fix it."

"There's nothing wrong, Kai," she replied shortly.

I frowned. "Are you sure? You look awful," I said bluntly.

She glared at me. "I said I was fine. You can't fix everything," Nya snapped.

I tried a softer approach. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" I asked. "I just want to help you."

She stayed silent.

"Please?" I added. When I got no answer, I said, "At least come to lunch tomorrow. I miss you. And I know Jay does too."

She looked up at me in surprise. "He does?"

Yes! Some progress. "Yeah. He asked if you were ever coming back. I think he likes you," I added. "We should hang out sometime."

A faint smile touched Nya's lips. "Thanks, but I can't."

"Why not?"

She looked at the ground. "I just can't." Nya leaned in closer until her head rested on my chest. I was shocked. My sister felt cold and lifeless. "He won't let me," she murmured.

What? Anger rushed into my chest. Was this person the reason why Nya was acting so strange? When I got my hands on them…"Who's he? And why won't he let you? W—"

She placed her hand over my mouth to stop my storm of questions. After a moment she sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Nya stepped away from me once she made sure I wouldn't say anything else. I wanted to ask more questions, but I could tell that whoever 'he' was, he scared my sister. Instead, I gave Nya a long, tight squeeze just the way she liked it.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

When I let go, a dark haze passed over Nya's eyes. "Goodbye, Kai."

With that, she left the dining room, leaving me more alone and confused than ever.

* * *

AN: See you next week!


	6. Chapter 6-Picture Day

Chapter 6: Picture Day

* * *

The rest of the week, I worried about Nya, but as Cole said one day at lunch, if she wouldn't talk then there was nothing I could do. So I decided to turn my nervous energy to something else. Cole still needed several pictures of a 'music school' by next week.

I figured that we could stage something during the Spring Festival. It was a school wide celebration that started on the third Saturday of May and ended Sunday evening. All the students viewed the cherry blossoms in the courtyard at sunrise. After an hour or so, everyone headed inside for snacks, including strawberries, bamboo shoots with rice, and sakura mochi.

Then, the festivities begin. The older students perform _shizuka no mai,_ a traditional dance, and then the floor is opened up to the rest of the students. The key event for us though, was the choir that would be singing during lunch. Somehow, we were going to have to get Cole into that choir and get his picture taken.

Last year, I didn't really pay much attention the festival. For me, it was a break from the overwhelming load of homework and a distraction from the Golden Clock. I wish I had watched the festival more closely. It would have come in handy for making a plan. Oh well. We were going to have to wing it.

I sprung my idea on the group that day at lunch and was met with immediate resistance.

"So how are you going to get Cole into the choir?" Jay demanded.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I thought we would just kind of sneak him in there before the performance starts."

Zane looked up from his book. "The choir consists of fifth years and older. Cole is only a second year. He will not be able to blend in."

"Besides, don't they have special kimonos for the occasion?" Cole chimed in.

I completely forgot about that. "Um. Shouldn't they be rehearsing before the actual performance? Maybe we can grab a kimono there." My voice sounded weak and pathetic in my ears.

Jay looked at me doubtfully. "How will we know where they are rehearsing?"

"Room 427," Zane said.

"How do you know?" Jay questioned.

"It was in the school announcements," he replied.

Great! Now we were getting somewhere. "Let's meet there after classes."

Everyone nodded, expect for Cole. When the bell rang, he asked me to wait for a moment.

"You don't have to do this, Kai," Cole told me.

I shrugged. "It's what friends do."

Cole frowned. "It just doesn't feel right. It's my problem; I should be taking care of it."

I sighed. "But I want to help you out. It's just a few quick pictures. How hard could it be?"

As it turned out, it could be very hard indeed. The choir was already in the room when we got there. We had to wait until they all left. I sprinted to catch up with Neuro, the choir director. I asked him about the uniforms. He bragged that they had been ordered specially from some famous magical company or another, blah, blah, blah.

I sagged. If they had been specially ordered, then there wouldn't be any extras. Time for Plan B: Steal a kimono from a choir student. The others cringed, but we didn't have much of a choice. We only had five days before Saturday.

* * *

The next day, we trailed a shorter choir student back to their dorm room. Unfortunately, he was from the Water House, so none of us could follow him. I groaned. I didn't want to ask Nya to steal a kimono for me, so we were going to have to come up with something else.

I really wanted to a kimono today. So it was time for Plan C: Beg Neuro for one. He was really impressed when I asked about the uniform, so maybe he would let us borrow one.

"Absolutely not," The professor said. "Those kimonos are expensive. I don't have them lying around. But when you are fifth year, you can join the choir and wear one yourself."

I walked out the classroom and groaned. We all looked at each other in despair.

"What do we do now?" Jay asked.

"I could replicate the choir kimono," Zane suggested.

"Really?" I asked.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Cole criticized.

Zane frowned. "I will have to dye my own kimono pink."

The group formed a silent O. Each student had two school kimonos. If Zane dyed one pink, than he would be stuck wearing the same clothes four days in a row. That and pink was just plain embarrassing. Not even my sister wore pink if she could help it.

"It's for a good cause, Zane," I finally said.

He nodded. Since we couldn't leave the grounds, we collected various pink flowers and berries from the courtyards. We boiled and crushed the plants, and we actually got a pink dye. Success! Now to apply it to a kimono. We dipped Zane's white kimono into our pink bath and let it soak over night.

The next morning we took the kimono out, and stared at it in horror. Jay sniggered. It was hot pink. Zane looked mortified. The choir kimono was supposed to be a subtle, sakura color. Clearly, this was not going to work. So, it was back to the drawing board.

"We could try washing it out," Cole suggested.

The kimono was sent down the laundry chute and came back only a little lighter than before. 19 times later, we got the desired color. Finally, something went right.

All we had to do was replace one of the choir students with Cole. The plan was simple: offer one of the choir students the cupcake that Zane had infused with a sleeping draught before the final rehearsal, stash him in a closet, and have Cole take his place. Everything was ready. Now all we needed to do was wait till Saturday.

I didn't get any sleep Friday night. I kept going over the plan again and again. What if something went wrong? We had everything didn't we? Cole had the camera his father gave him…Zane had the kimono and the cupcake…that was everything, wasn't it?

At last, Saturday came.

I couldn't care less about the flower blossoms while the sun rose over the mountain. Instead, I was busy watching our target. He was about Cole's size and had the same hair color. He also was in the back row of the choir, so Neuro wouldn't notice anything was off. I started pacing back and forth while waiting for the teachers to call us back inside.

"Relax, Kai," Cole said. "You're so tense."

I sighed. "I can't help it."

"Enjoy the cherry blossoms," Zane suggested. "This is a time for celebration."

"I know, I know," I replied. I tried to stand still, but energy flowed through my veins. I started pacing again.

"Where's Jay?" Cole asked.

I froze. I hadn't seen him all morning. Where could he be? I looked around the courtyard. He wasn't there. Had Jay gotten mixed up? We told him to meet in the Sanmon Courtyard…hadn't we?

"Hey, guys!" Jay said.

I spun around. "You scared me! Where have you been?"

Jay laughed awkwardly. "About that, I, uh, I was—"

"He was getting me," Nya interrupted.

She came out from behind Jay's back. I hadn't even seen her there.

"Nya! You came!" I said in a mixture of shock and happiness. We hadn't spoken at all over the past few days.

Nya looked at the ground shyly. "Yeah. Jay asked me to join you guys, and I wanted to be polite," she said.

"Oh." Something in her tone made it seem like she didn't really want to be here.

"No one should be alone at the Spring Festival," Jay said.

We all stood silently, watching the sunrise. While it was great to see Nya again, Jay's generosity was going to make things more complicated. How could we carry out the plan with my sister watching? She and I are having enough problems as it is. This could only make this worse between us. My heart twinged at the thought. I tried to push those feelings aside. For now, it was time to enjoy the coming of spring and fellowship with my friends.

All too soon, the gong rang, signaling us to head inside for food. I pulled Jay aside while the others went ahead.

"How are we going to hide our plan from Nya?" I hissed at him.

Jay smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I'll keep her distracted."

I frowned. Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this. First of all, leaving him alone with my sister felt wrong. I mean, my friend likes my younger sister, and that's just messed up. And second of all, I hadn't seen Jay this confident since he tried to put together the plane in the junk room.

But I didn't have any better ideas. People would get suspicious if I didn't head inside soon, so I nodded. Jay ran to catch up with Nya while I trailed behind. I pulled Cole and Zane back with me and let them know the change in plans. We ate snacks like everyone else, but Zane and Cole excused themselves early.

Cole walked passed me and slipped the camera into my hand. I tucked it inside my kimono. Jay was so busy talking to Nya, he didn't even notice the exchange, but she glanced my way.

"Where are they going?" My sister asked.

"To the bathroom," I made up quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. Nya frowned at me, but turned back to Jay when he asked her a question.

I sighed. This whole thing was driving us further apart. I tried to join in their conversation. They were talking about their old springtime traditions.

"My dad used to barbeque chicken and fish under the cherry trees by our house," Jay was saying. "But then he would try to cook the food with magic, and it would always come out burnt." He sighed. "I got used to it though, and now, this regular food tastes strange." He made a face at his meal.

Nya giggled. I laughed a little too. I thought back to _hanami_ with Karin. "Our foster mom would make us sweet dumplings and sakura mochi," I remembered.

Nya nodded. "Then she'd let us run around the park until we were too tired and put us down for a nap."

"Those were some good times," I said absently.

"Yeah," Nya agreed. The three of us sat in silence. We watched the older students dance, and then it was our turn.

I started off dancing with Nya. Her eyes sparkled and she regained some of her old fire. I hadn't seen her this happy since we first got to school. Whatever funk my sister had been in seemed to pass. I saw Zane approaching the dance floor out of the corner of my eye. In front of me, I noticed Jay was fiddling with his scarf by himself.

I grinned to myself. I had an idea.

"What's with that look?" Nya asked.

"You'll find out." I twirled my sister in a circle and let her go right into Jay. She flung out her arms to stop herself from running into him, but ended up falling on top of the unsuspecting boy anyways. While Jay picked Nya up awkwardly, she gave me the evil eye.

I smirked at her, and she stuck her tongue out at me, right as Jay swept her away in time with the beat. Sort of. Jay wasn't the best dancer, but he whispered something in Nya's ear that made her laugh. Now was my chance.

I slipped away from the crowd and joined Zane at the entrance to the hall. "Well?" I asked.

"Cole is in the choir," Zane informed me.

"And no one noticed?"

"Not that I was aware of."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Perfect."

Zane and I watched from a distance as the dancing came to a halt. Everyone went back to their tables, expect for me. I got into a good position to watch the choir so I could take some pictures. I fumbled with the buttons, but at last I managed to get it in position. It was pretty large, with a massive flashbulb on top.

The choir came walking down the hall. I snapped a picture of Cole getting onto the risers. Once there, he searched the crowd for me, met my gaze, and flashed me a winning smile. I took two to be safe. I got a couple more pictures during the actual performance, and took one at the end.

Cole began to walk off the risers toward me. I tucked the camera away and went to meet him.

"Brad, come here please," Neuro called.

Cole kept walking. Neuro's eyebrows narrowed and vein began to bulge in his forehead. No one was coming. I put two and two together.

"Cole," I whispered as loud as I dared. "That's you."

Cole quickly turned around and ran toward the professor.

"Coming, sir," Cole called.

My heart rose up to my throat. What if Neuro figured out the truth? I imagined the professor's rage and shuddered. Hopefully, Cole would be okay.

Neuro did not look pleased. "Come when I call you."

Cole nodded anxiously. "Yes, sir." So far so good. "You wanted to speak with me?" He added.

"You were flat the entire performance," the professor scolded. "Honestly, it was like you hadn't practiced at all."

Cole looked down at the ground to hide his face. "Sorry, sir, it won't happen again."

The professor leaned forward. Cole stumbled backward. "In fact, you don't sound like yourself at all."

Sweat dripped down my forehead, even though I wasn't the one being interrogated. Cole tried to come up with an excuse.

"To be honest, I've been feeling a little sick this morning. I think I'm getting a cold." He coughed to prove his point.

The furrows in Neuro's eyebrows deepened. He wasn't buying it. Cole took another step backward.

"What that be all, sir?"

Neuro took one last look, and then decided it wasn't worth it and dismissed him. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Cole ran up to me and we started walking back to the others.

"That was close," I said.

"Yeah," he agreed. He stopped walking and stared me down. "Please tell me you got the pictures."

I pulled out the camera. "Right here."

"Thank goodness," Cole replied. He took the camera from me and stuck it in his kimono. We picked up the others and continued to the main garden where the teahouse was located for the tea ceremony, even though it wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes. I poked fun at Cole's singing and he defended himself, saying that he had warned me his voice sounded terrible. It took me a moment to place that conversation, but then I remembered Cole told me that he sounded like he was dying.

"You weren't kidding," I said.

Cole frowned and stopped walking. I hoped I hadn't gone too far. I knew that this was a kind of sensitive topic. Cole wasn't looking at me though. He was peering ahead. I followed his gaze and gasped. The others stopped behind us.

A student was sprawled on the steps of the teahouse. His arm was outstretched toward the door, as if he was trying to escape from something. The teen's exposed skin was black and I noticed that there were two holes in his leg.

I looked back at my friends in shock. It had been several weeks since the last attack.

"That could have been us," I said slowly.

"I told you! I told you the Great Devourer was still out there!" Jay yelled.

Next to him, Nya's face paled. The light faded from her eyes, and she ran down the garden steps.

"Nya!" I called after her, but my sister didn't even stop. She yanked the door open and sprinted back inside. I wanted to run after her, but I felt like whenever I tried to figure out what was wrong with Nya, she pulled away from me. There was a chasm growing between us. One that I couldn't cross, no matter how hard I tried.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed this more light hearted chapter!


	7. Chapter 7-Dark Omens

Chapter 7: Dark Omens

* * *

The Spring Festival was canceled. Master Wu took the student to the infirmary and sent everyone back to their dorms. The teachers searched the grounds for the source of the attacks, but none was found. Fear was spreading. A few days later, another victim was found in an empty classroom. The school was now in a lockdown.

I tried to talk to Nya about what was going on, but she had gone back to avoiding me. In fact, I hadn't been able to talk to any of my friends. As a safety precaution, everyone was confined to their dormitories after class.

I peeked out the dorm window. I had nothing better to do. My room had a great view of the mountain and the millions of steps leading up to the school. I noticed men in black robes approaching the school. They stood outside the wooden doors, until at last Master Wu went out to meet them. That's weird. I wondered what that was all about.

Maybe I could find out. No one was guarding the dorm doors. The teachers were far more concerned with finding the source of the problem. I went towards the door leading back to the outside. I checked to make sure none of the other students were around. Nobody was looking this way. Perfect.

I opened the door a crack and slipped outside. I headed toward the entrance, figuring the strangers couldn't have gotten too far. In the corner of my eye, a black robe disappeared around the corner. Score. I trailed them at a distance until they came to a room I had never seen before. There were times I forgot how large the school really was.

The door snapped shut in my face. I couldn't get any closer without being discovered. So I pressed my ears up to the wooden door and listened.

"Have some tea, Minister," Wu was saying.

"I didn't come here for tea, Wu Garmadon," The minister replied. "I came to talk about something of a much more serious nature."

I pressed myself closer to the wall in anticipation. What could a minister want with our school?

"I've found that tea has helped me in many a serious situation, Minister," Wu said.

I smiled to myself. Typical Master Wu.

"I don't want any tea." The minister tried to keep his voice steady, but I could hear the annoyance in his voice. "We have a terrible problem here! Students are being attacked. Your school is no longer safe."

"A problem my staff and I are addressing."

"Not fast enough! How many students will it take before the situation is resolved?"

A pause. "What are you saying, Minister?" Wu replied evenly.

My heart thudded in my chest. I forced my ear so close to the door that it hurt.

"The board and I have come to a decision. You will step aside and if new administration doesn't solve the issue, then we will have no choice but to close the school."

Remove Wu? Close the school? What? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They couldn't do this!

"If that's what the board wants, then I will step aside," Wu replied. "If that will be all…"

"Yes. You will receive a notice when we have a suitable replacement."

"Of course."

I heard the sound of movement. Someone was coming toward the door. I quickly slid out of the way and crouched behind a suit of armor. A man, who I assumed was the minister, left the room and was followed by his associates. I watched them go, then I got up.

"Wait a minute, Kai," Master Wu called.

I froze. How did he know I was there? I turned around slowly. "Yes, Master?"

"Come inside, please."

I followed him in the room. It was larger than I expected. There were shelves filled with books lined up against one wall, and a series of paintings on the other. In the center was a simple wooden desk with several chairs around it.

"It is not wise to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Kai," Master Wu warned.

I looked down at the floor. "Sorry," I muttered. But questions were swirling around my brain. "You're not really going to step down are you?" I blurted.

The sensei sighed. "I have no choice."

I slammed my fists on the desk. "Of course you do! Just—"

"Enough, Kai!" Master Wu said. "I must obey the rules, like everyone else."

I slumped down in a chair. I couldn't imagine school without the old professor.

"But I won't leave you unprotected." Wu smiled. "You will find that help will always be given here to those who ask for it."

Before I had time to ponder his words, Master Wu was shooing me out of his office.

"Wait," I said as he began to close the door. "What about the Great Devourer? How are we going to stop it?" Wu sighed again. I remembered the message on the wall and figured that was the monster, but maybe I was wrong. "It is the Great Devourer that's attacking the school right?" I asked.

"Yes, Kai, and only golden power can stop the giant serpent." Master Wu put his hand on my shoulder. "Now go to bed."

I nodded and shuffled toward the dormitories. I looked out one of the windows, and saw a curtain of stars. I hadn't realized it was so late. The corridors were empty. My heart started pounding. Most of the attacks happened when no one else was around.

The school seemed larger. Hiding places lurked in every corner. Each sound was out to get me. I was constantly glancing over my shoulder to make sure nothing was following me. At one point, I could swear I heard the rustle of scales off to my left. But there was nothing except a bathroom.

I didn't feel safe until I closed the door behind me in my dorm, but even then the room felt cold and heartless. I took deep breaths and tried to calm my heart.

"Stop acting like Jay," I told myself. I guess his paranoia was rubbing off on me. I snuggled deeper into my covers and tried to get some sleep.

 _Someone was running ahead of me. I couldn't make out their face, but I could tell he was a student here at school. The boy was trying to get away from something. I turned behind me and saw what it was. A snake with fangs as big as my body_ _was chasing me._

 _It was incredibly fast, considering its size. The serpent slithered past me and went after the student. His right hand clenched tighter around a piece of paper. The boy was slowing down. The snake was going to catch him._

 _I tried to help the student by slowing down the beast, but I was only an observer, frozen to the spot. The snake struck its fangs into a white kimono. The student gasped and collapsed to the ground. His skin was turned black, making his white hair stand out brighter than ever._

I woke up in cold sweat. "Zane!" I called out loud.

The student couldn't have been anyone else. The kimono paired with the pale hair had to have belonged to him. I stared at the ceiling and counted out ten deep breaths. It wasn't real. It couldn't have been real. Zane would never…It must have been a dream. Yes. That must be it.

It felt so real though. Like I was watching the Great Devourer drain the life right out of him, and I couldn't do anything. I could feel his panic; the desperate energy to escape, to get away…but it was over now.

I lay back in bed and smiled in relief. Thank goodness it was only a dream.

* * *

AN: Was it just a dream? Tune in next time to find out-please review!


	8. Chapter 8-Too Close To Home

Chapter 8: Too Close to Home

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At breakfast, Wu made the official announcement that he was stepping down and if the attacker wasn't found then the school would close. I poked at my food while the people around me gasped. I already knew everything that Master Wu was saying, so I quickly zoned. There had to be a way to find the Great Devourer. It couldn't just strike and disappear. But not even the teachers could find it.

"In light of the five attacks…"

Wait, five? I counted them off on my fingers. The girl, the boy at the teahouse, the other student that had been found…there were only three. Well, four if you counted that koi fish. I wasn't the only one who was confused. The other students were whispering nervously among themselves.

"Yeah," Chen was saying. "I heard there was another victim last night." He was deliberately talking loud enough so that I could hear him. Chen smirked at me. "Apparently, it was that nerd. What was his name?" He tapped his chin in a mock thinking pose. "That kid with the freakishly pale hair and the flat voice—"

"Zane!" I snapped. Everyone looked at me. I glared at Chen. "His name is Zane."

Chen just shrugged. "Whatever. Anyways, he got brought in the infirmary not long after curfew. I heard he didn't have a pulse…"

Blood rushed in my ears. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My dream echoed in my mind.

Chen laughed at my pain. "Look at his face," he said to his friends.

I ignored him. I needed to go to the infirmary. I had to know the truth. I left the table and sprinted out of the common room. Wu was still talking, but I didn't care. I was long gone, just as I heard someone calling my name. I didn't slow down, not when my breath ran out or my heart started making its way out of my chest. All I could think about whether Zane was okay or not.

I finally came to stop outside the infirmary door. Now that I was here, I was almost afraid to go in. What if Zane was…

"Kai! Wait up," Cole panted behind me.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked at the same time.

I turned. "I heard Zane was the fifth victim."

Jay gasped and Cole simply stared at me in disbelief. "It can't be…" He muttered.

"That's why I have to find out," I said as I turned back to the door.

Jay swallowed loudly. I took a deep breath. Now that my friends were behind me, there was no turning back. I pushed open the door and went inside. Mistaké was there to greet us.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked us.

"We came to see if Zane had been attacked," Cole replied.

The old lady's face softened. "You're his friends, right?"

I looked at the others. I could see my unease reflected in their faces.

"Yes," I answered hesitantly.

"Come with me." We followed her down past a series of white beds. Most of them were empty, but three of them were filled with the victims of the Great Devourer. Even Goldie was here. I noticed her sitting on a nightstand next to a bouquet of flowers. Mistaké stopped in front of a white curtain.

"I thought it would be best to separate him from the other patients," she said.

I glanced nervously at my friends. Why would Zane need to be separated from everyone else?

"What does that mean?" Jay whispered anxiously.

The curtain was open. Mistaké strode right in. I went in after her.

Cole quickly whispered back, "Nothing good."

"Here he is," Mistaké said.

My jaw dropped. Cole gasped. Jay started freaking out. "W-what happened to him? Is he okay?"

Mistaké sighed. "At first, I thought he was dead, since he had no pulse. Even other victims had a faint heartbeat. I examined his body, and that's when I discovered why he has no pulse."

I looked in horror at my friend. His skin was completely black, and, and…

"He's an android," she said.

I approached Zane slowly. His chest had been completely opened up, exposing his metallic inside which was filled wires made from tightly woven unicorn hair. Where his heart should have been was a metal circle with a pulsing blue light in the middle. Next to it was a switch that had been flipped off.

Mistaké followed my gaze. "That's his kill switch. If something overloads his system, it will automatically shut him off until his power source is stabilized."

"When will that be?" Cole asked.

The old woman sighed. Was it just me, or were the lines on her face deeper than normal?

"Not until we harvest the golden plant and counteract the poison. If we reboot your friend before then, it's highly likely he won't be the same person as before."

"What do you mean he won't be the same?" Jay asked.

"The poison of the Great Devourer has the power to turn the purest of things evil. Even the land itself turns black at its touch. The android would become a shadow of himself. Only golden power can save him."

My heart ached. "Zane," I said hopelessly. There had to be something we could do to save him.

She noticed my concern. "I'll leave you alone with him."

When she was gone, Jay tried to break up the tension. "Well, that explains a lot."

I looked at him. "What does?"

"Zane being an android. That's why he's so great at everything."

"And why he's so awkward," Cole put in.

I thought back to all the moments where Zane had just seemed different. The times he never ran out of breath, the way he never walked normally, his enhanced senses, that one time he pulled several all-nighters without getting tired…it all made sense.

"Yeah," I said at last. We all looked at Zane.

"So what now?" Jay asked.

"I don't know," I said. "Stop the Great Devourer from attacking anyone else."

"How are we going to do that?" Jay questioned.

I sighed. I couldn't believe it. My dream came true.

"We could really use Zane right now," Cole commented.

His intelligence would have come in handy. He had been researching all sorts of things these past weeks. There must have been something he uncovered that could have been useful. I looked down at the bedside.

Zane's hand was clenched into a tight fist. There was a bit of white showing through the dark skin. My eyes widened.

"Guys, look at this!"

Cole and Jay stood at my shoulders and watched as I pried Zane's fingers open. Inside was a lone sheet of paper.

Jay gasped, "What does it say?"

I read out loud. " 'The Great Devourer is a massive serpent that never stops growing. It was sealed away after a terrible accident involving of the sons of the Spinjitzu Wizard. The Spinjitzu Wizard then hid the Great Devourer in the safest place in Ninjago, in the Mountain of a Million Steps under his school. Then, he hid the four fang blades that could release the serpent. The Spinjitzu Wizard swore to keep the secret of the Great Devourer to his grave. He refused to tell his own sons, saying only 'The beast [Great Devourer] is in Ouroboros'. Even to this day, there is no record of the exact location of the snake or the fang blades themselves.' Then under here, there's an image of a snake eating its tail," I paused. The image looked familiar somehow, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The others waited expectantly. My eyes trailed down to the bottom of the page.

"Below the picture Zane wrote pipes."

"So what does that mean? Jay asked.

"It means we're no closer than we were before," Cole said.

I shook my head. "We know the Great Devourer was originally under the school in Ouroboros, and not even Master Wu was told where it was hidden, which is why none of the teachers could find it."

"Okay," Cole said slowly. "That still doesn't help us."

"How had the snake been getting around anyway? Someone should have seen it by now. Especially if it never stops growing," Jay pointed out.

I looked down at Zane's perfect handwriting. "Through the pipes."

"Then how will we find it?" Cole asked.

I sighed. "I don't know."

The bell signaling the end of first period rang. I looked at the others. "We should probably go."

"Can we walk together?" Jay asked.

Cole and I stared at him. He stuttered awkwardly. "You know, just to be safe."

I exhaled loudly. "Alright."

We wandered down the hallway. Jay and I had the same class. I remembered the first message I had found in the potion's wing. I picked up my pace. The sooner we got to class the better.

"Slow down, Kai," Jay called.

I forced myself to walk normally so the others could catch up. But suddenly, the others had stopped moving.  
I turned toward them irritably. "What?" I asked.

"Look at this," Cole said.

I walked over to them and saw a few teachers standing at the far end of the hallway. I couldn't make out what they were saying, so I crept forward with Cole and Jay at my heels.

"This is terrible, just terrible," Hutchins was saying.

"That's it, I'm leaving this place for good," Ronin complained.

"You guys are a bunch of crybabies," Professor Yang said. "We had things way worse when I was alive. My students would drop off left and right like flies."

"That's because you drove your students to insanity," Hutchins retorted. "This is different."

"I had to be tough on those kids or they would have never learned. As iron sharpens iron, so sensei sharpens student," Yang defended himself.

"Focus! There's a girl's life at stake here," Cyrus Borg interjected. Then, all the teachers started clamoring at once.

"Quiet down!" Neuro yelled. "We need a plan, not chaos. We have to retrieve the student before it's too late."

Retrieve a student? What was going on? I looked at the wall behind the teachers. Jay gasped behind me, and Cole had to cover his mouth. Fortunately, none of the teachers heard. A new message had been written on the wall.

 _Her skeleton will lie in Ouroboros forever._

"Do we know what student has been taken?" Mistaké asked.

Neuro replied, "Nya Umas, a first year."

My heart stopped. The Great Devourer had taken my sister? It couldn't be true. What would the snake want with Nya? But a sinking feeling told me that she was gone. For good. Cole and Jay shot me sympathetic glances. My eyes began to water. I blinked my tears away.

No.

I was not going to let Nya die. I had to get her back. No matter what. I had to find Ouroboros if it killed me. No one messes with my sister, not even a massive killer snake.

* * *

AN: Stay tuned for the next part and if you are enjoying, please drop a review! Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9-Belly of the Beast

Chapter 9: Belly of the Beast

* * *

I backed away from the teachers so I could talk to Cole and Jay in private. "We have to find Ouroboros," I said.

Jay and Cole looked at each other. "How?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I want to find Nya too, but…" Jay trailed off.

I glowered at them. Failure was not an option. They couldn't meet my eyes. The silence stretched for several uncomfortable minutes. My hand clenched into a fist.

To my surprise, I heard the crumple of paper. I forgot that I was still holding on to Zane's message. I smoothed out the wrinkles and looked at the page. There had to be something I was missing. My eyes were drawn to the snake eating its tail. I know I had seen that somewhere else before. I had a feeling it wasn't that long ago either.

"Urrggg!" I growled out loud.

Jay jumped. "Don't scare me like that!" He scolded me.

I sighed. "Sorry. I'm just frustrated. I can't think of where I've seen this picture."

I showed the paper to Cole and Jay.

"Doesn't ring a bell," Cole said bluntly.

"Me neither," Jay said.

I sighed. So it was just me. Maybe it was in a book I'd read? No, I never read anything unless it was for class. Nya was always the one who read books. Where else had I been that the others hadn't?

"Kai," Cole said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "We should really get to class. We'll talk later."

"Alright," I finally relented. "Let's met at the library after classes. We'll search the whole school if we have to."

My friends nodded and we went to our separate classes. Mistaké didn't mark us late, which was nice. I hoped Cole's teacher did the same. I couldn't concentrate on potions though. All I could think about was Nya and that snake.

Word got around about the message on the wall. Panic spread through the student body. So much so, that the teachers were forced to cancel the rest of classes. Soon, I found myself being bounced around with a hoard of students all rushing to get to their dormitories.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the door to the fire common room was in sight. At last, I was going to be safe from this crazy crowd. If I had a choice between the Great Devourer and the hoard, I would pick the snake. Right as I got to the door, I noticed a painting. I normally never paid attention to the artwork in the hallways. My first year, it was cool because the photographs moved, but I got used to it after a while.

This painting didn't even move. It just sat there by the boy's bathroom. The painting was simple, just a picture of a snake in a circle about to swallow its tail. Now, something clicked in my brain. That's where I had seen the image on the paper. The others wouldn't have seen it because students weren't allowed to go by the other houses' dormitories. It all made sense now. Ouroboros must have something with the Fire House.

Hope rose in my chest. I needed to tell the others. I wondered if they would still meet me at the library. It was technically after classes. I wasn't sure, so I sent them an owl just in case. I nearly sent one to Zane, before I realized that he couldn't come. My heart sunk. It wasn't going to be the same without him. But I shook off the feeling and put my pen away. I hurried down to the library and waited by the entrance for the others to arrive.

Jay came first, panting heavily. His scarf was ruffled and his clothes looked battered. I guessed that happened during the mad rush.

"Did you find out were Nya is?" he asked eagerly.

"I think so," I replied.

Cole arrived shortly afterwards. Now that everyone was here, I told them what I had discovered. Cole didn't look that impressed.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We find the entrance to Ouroboros and save Nya," I said simply. How hard was it?

"With that giant snake?" Jay asked nervously.

"Come on, guys," I groaned. "If we can take on the Overlord, we can handle a snake."

The others stared doubtfully back at me. Anger boiled up in my chest. "Fine!" I snapped. "I'll save Nya myself."

Cole followed me with his eyes while Jay reached his hand out to stop me. "Wait," he said. "What I mean is, we can't just go out there and face that monster without a plan."

I sighed. Jay was probably right, but my sister needed me. "We'll come up with a plan on the way. Come on."

They followed me to the painting by the bathroom.

"Do you think the entrance is in the Fire Dorm?" Cole asked.

I shook my head. "Someone would have found it by now in there."

"What about in there?" Jay suggested. I followed his gaze to the rusty old bathroom that was probably as old as the school itself. No one went there if they could help it, especially since all the dorms came with a bathroom.

"It's worth checking out," I replied. I pushed open the door and went inside. Dust coated the floor and the paint was peeling from the stalls. At once I knew we were in the right place. On one of the sink handles was a snake. I walked over and got ready to pull the lever.

"Kai! It could be a trap," Jay warned.

I glared at him. Now was not the time for that. I left him to fidget nervously with his scarf and pulled the handle anyways. The sound of metal scraping metal echoed through the bathroom.

The sink began to lower into the ground, revealing a dark, grimy hole shaped like a snake's head. Inside, I could see a slide leading down into the belly of the beast. It reeked. Bile crept in my throat. I thought about Nya and swallowed it back down.

"Here we go," I muttered to no one in particular.

I put my hands on the sides of the hole. Thick, sticky grime coated my fingers. Yuck! I quickly snatched my hands back and rubbed them on my kimono. I stepped in the hole instead and carefully set my self down. _For Nya,_ I thought.

Immediately, I began to slide down into the darkness. Wind rushed in my ears. My stomach gurgled and dropped, while a scream was torn from my throat. I couldn't see anything. At last the ride came to a halt. I stumbled and fell on my hands and knees. That was awful.

At last, I recovered my wits and stood up. There was an ominous green light coming from the stones, allowing me to get a feeling for my surroundings. It looked as old and disgusting as the bathroom above. The room was also full of cracks.

I heard a guttural scream and a high-pitched shriek. I smiled. At least I wasn't going to be alone down here. As they came down, I noticed dust was coming from the ceiling. I cringed. It didn't look like this place was stable. Cole landed on him stomach and Jay landed on top of him.

"Get off!" Cole shouted. The ceiling shook and dust fell like rain.

"Alright already!" Jay yelled back. "No need to get so upset." Small stones hit my shoulder. I glanced up at the ceiling. The cracks had grown into fissures, dark and ominous, looming like clouds over our heads.

"Guys," I warned.

"Well, you were squishing me!" Cole grumbled loudly. He stomped up to his feet and glared at Jay.

Jay glared back. "I couldn't help it!"

Cole opened his mouth, when the ceiling audibly rumbled. Massive chunks of rock were crumbling around us.

"Look out!" I shouted.

I jumped into a stable corridor while Jay and Cole backed up to the cover of the slide. The ceiling kept on falling, stirring up dust that burned my eyes and coated my nose and throat. I covered my face and coughed and coughed until at last there was no more dust to cough up.

At last, the horrible crashing noise stopped. I opened my eyes and saw a massive wall of rock had formed between the room we left and the place I was at. I didn't see my friends anywhere. I ran up to the wall.

"Guys! Guys, are you okay?" I called.

I pressed my ears up to the rock.

"We're here, Kai," Jay replied. His voice sounded small and muffled.

"I'm going to use my earth power to get us out of here," Cole yelled.

I backed away from the wall and let him do his thing. I heard a blast, and a small hole opened up, but more rock took its place so I couldn't tell the difference from before. This could take time. Time that Nya didn't have.

"I'm going to go ahead and look for my sister," I told the others.

"We'll catch up in a bit," Cole replied.

I ran down the corridor until I ran out of breath. This tunnel was long. I slowed to a brisk walk. The walls had a slimy, green glow about them that made my skin crawl. I needed to get Nya and get out of here. I could hear the trickle of water up ahead.

The corridor opened up into a large circular room. There was snake statue with four blades for the top and bottom fangs. There was lime green, luminescent water pouring out of its mouth into a fountain making a spiral green pattern on the floor.

At the center of the spiral was Nya. I gasped and sprinted toward her. I slid through the water by my sister's side. Her body was lifeless and her skin was dull and grey. I touched her forehead. She was stone cold.

I started muttering to myself. "No, no, NO!" I started shaking Nya, gently at first, then faster and harder. "Wake up!" I called desperately.

She wasn't moving. She wasn't even breathing. I checked for pulse, but I couldn't feel one. No. It couldn't be. I couldn't believe it. I refused to believe it. I pumped her chest, pinched her nose, and breathed into her lungs.

"Come on, Nya," I pleaded. "Don't leave me." I sniffed and kept pushing on her chest and breathing into her mouth. I couldn't give up. "Don't leave me," I repeated softly.

"She can't hear you," a strangely familiar voice stated matter-of-factly.

I turned toward the voice and saw a dark, dragon like shape leaning against the wall. He smirked at me.

"That's right, Kai. It's me. The Overlord."

I gasped. It couldn't be. We defeated him last year. We destroyed the clock. I was sure of it. What kind of…thing was he?

He gave me a toothy grin and spread his arms wide. "What? You didn't really think you could get rid of me that easily?"

* * *

AN: The Overlord has returned! Please leave a review and let me know how you like this! Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10-End of Ouroboros

Chapter 10: End of Ouroboros

* * *

I stared at him in horror while I kept a tight grip on my sister's cold hand. "What have you done to Nya?" I demanded.

His purple eyes bored into mine. "I didn't do anything. She was the one who found me."

What was the Overlord talking about? I shook his words out of my head. I remembered how he had played on all of our fears the last year. The villain couldn't be trusted.

I couldn't stop myself from asking, "What do you mean?"

The Overlord rolled his shoulders, revealing a small pair of purple wings. I cringed.

"The poor girl was exploring the school when she found me. I needed a host, since I couldn't come back fully…yet…" he explained.

His words were puzzling. He must be lying. "I don't believe you. My sister would never do that."

"Not intentionally, of course. She touched the dark matter that held my spirit. From there, it was easy to possess her body. I had her open Ouroboros with the fang blades and release the Great Devourer. She was the one who attacked the other students."

I shook my head again. "Nya would never hurt anyone."

"I controlled the snake through her. Same thing really."

I couldn't imagine the Overlord in Nya's body. But it did explain her withdrawal and that weird statement she made in the dining hall.

"My sister said that 'he' wouldn't let her spend time with us. Was that you?"

The Overlord nodded. "I'll admit she was strong. There were a couple times she managed to shake off my control. However, she never managed to get rid of me completely." He stretched out his black arms and flexed his white claws experimentally. "Now she's giving me life. I grow stronger as she grows weaker. She just clinging on to life, but soon, she'll die and I will come completely back to life." He laughed manically.

Anger surged in my chest. How could he just use my sister like that? I gave her hand a squeeze and let go.

"You monster!" I screamed as I charged the Overlord. He dodged in one silky movement. I spun around and glared at him.

Rage coursed through my veins. I raised my hands in front of me. I took a deep breath and shot a long stream of red flames at the Overlord. He spread his wings and jumped toward the ceiling. I followed him until he landed. I spread my hands apart to widen the tunnel of flames. It wouldn't be as hot, but I would catch him for sure.

A wall of green met my flames. I didn't have time to be shocked. I kept shooting flames until I ran out of juice. When the flames cleared, I saw that the scales of the Great Devourer were already fading back to an army green. I hadn't done any damage at all.

The snake reared its head and flared its hood at me. My heart sunk to my stomach.

"Tsk tsk tsk," the Overlord scolded. "It's dangerous to play with fire. You could have burned your sister."

I clenched my fists. He didn't have the right to talk about Nya's safety! In the back of mind though, I told myself that I would have to be more careful. I planned my next attack, but before I could, the snake struck down at lightning speed.

I jumped to the side, right as the Great Devourer tore up a massive chunk of the floor. Rocks and water sprayed everywhere. I panted heavily. I could have died. My powers were useless against it, so what could I do? I tried to think of what Master Wu said would beat the serpent. Golden Power? Whatever that meant.

The snake lifted its gigantic body and prepared for another strike. I couldn't attack, so I did the only thing I could. I ran. I flew down the stone steps, pushing harder and harder, heading for the cover of a nearby corridor. I could feel the snake's eyes on me. It charged. I wasn't going to make it. I dove to the side.

I rolled across the ground. Every stone pounded my soft flesh. My limbs felt like lead, and I had only dodged twice. I lay on the ground, hoping that maybe the snake would leave me alone if I didn't move. Maybe I could buy sometime until Cole and Jay got here. Maybe. I was supposed to be saving my sister, not getting beat up by the Great Devourer. I managed to pull myself into a sitting position, but I was too tired to dodge another attack from the snake. I closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry Nya," I whispered to the ground. I could really use some help right now.

A shrill shriek pierced the air. A falcon, much like the one I saw on my first visit to the mountain, swooped through the air. I couldn't believe it. Right as I asked for help, the falcon, with the sorting hat in its claws, came to rescue me. I guess Wu was right! Help will always be given to those who ask for it!

The bird dropped the hat in my lap and flew over to the Great Devourer. It dove in front of the snake's face and scraped at its eyes. I smiled. Now, while it was distracted, was the time to strike. I wondered what the hat was for. I remembered it spoke in my head when I put on my first year, so maybe it could give me some advice?

I pulled it on my head eagerly, only for something hard to hit my skull. I took off the hat quickly.

"Ow!" I complained as I rubbed my head. I looked down at my lap. A sword made of gold clattered on the ground next to me. It glowed in the darkness, and when I picked it up, flames flared around the blade. Awesome! Was this what Wu meant by golden power? Only one way to find out.

I forced myself to stand up and cast my attention on the snake. The falcon squawked. Its battle didn't seem to be going so well. The Great Devourer had switched tactics and was now trying to swallow the bird while keeping out of its range.

I looked back at the Overlord. He seemed less like a person and more like a black beast with horns, teeth, claws, and full-fledged wings. I got the feeling I was running out of time to save Nya.

I had to finish the Great Devourer off and then quickly stop the Overlord. I gripped the sword with two hands and got ready to charge, when two figures came out of the corridor.

"That tunnel was way too long!" Jay complained. "How did that falcon get here so quickly?"

I smiled. It seems Cole finally cleared all those rocks. They looked tired, but little worse for wear. Perfect.

"Guys!" I called to them. "Get the Overlord! It's the only way to save Nya!"

They nodded.

"I won't let you!" The Overlord/dragon thing screamed. The Great Devourer turned from the falcon and prepared to strike my friends.

"Nooo!" I yelled. With strength I didn't know I had, I jumped in front of Cole and Jay. I pushed them clear and then leap out of the way. Once again, the snake only struck the ground. The others looked back at me over its massive head to make sure I was okay.

"Go!" I shouted at them. "I'll handle the snake!"

Jay looked at me doubtfully, but Cole tugged his sleeve and together they charged the Overlord. The serpent lifted its head off the ground.

"Oh no you don't," I muttered to myself.

I summoned the last of my energy and ran up to the Great Devourer. I took care to avoid its fangs and jumped on its head. The Snake reared and tried to throw me off. I tried to cling to its scales, but couldn't get a grip. Panic flooded me. I pictured myself flying at top speed into the wall and crashing back to the floor.

In an act of desperation, I pushed my sword down in its forehead. The snake screamed and hissed violently. It jerked around for a few more horrible seconds where the only thing keeping me on the snake was my sword, then at last, the Great Devourer fell to the ground and was no more.

I yanked out the sword and ran over to help Cole and Jay. The two of them weren't actually doing too badly. The Overlord seemed to be trapped in an awkward transition phase and didn't have access to his full power. They were driving him back with a series of spells and bolts of lightning. I brandished my sword and joined the fray.

I didn't do much. I was already tired from my battle with the Great Devourer and could hardly stand. It was Cole who knocked the Overlord on the ground and Jay who stunned him. I then stabbed the villain with the golden sword. Thankfully, it had the same kind of effect as it did on the snake.

With a raging scream of 'NOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!' the Overlord dissolved in a blinding flash of light. I breathed a sigh of relief. What a powerful sword!

Once he was gone, I heard a gasp behind me. I recognized that voice anywhere. I moved as fast as I could to my sister's side.

Her color returned and she was sitting up slowly. I cradled her in my arms.

Nya melted into my chest. "Kai, I'm so, so sorry." My sister hid her face from me. "He made me. I didn't mean to…I didn't want to—"

"It's alright, Nya." I pulled her closer to me. "It's okay now. He's gone." I tried to send my sister love through my embrace, to say what words couldn't. I don't know how long we sat together like that. I held her until she pulled herself together.

Nya wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Let's get out of here," she said.

I nodded and helped her stand up. I turned to the others. Cole was staring at the wall and Jay was fidgeting with his scarf awkwardly. He seemed to be debating with himself.

"Come on," I called.

We walked together, Cole in front, Nya and I in the middle, and Jay in the rear. The falcon had left after the Great Devourer had been defeated. We passed the pile of stones and came to the base of the slide.

"How are we going to get up there?" Nya asked.

Cole cracked his knuckles. "I got this."

I looked at my friend. "Are you sure? You've been using your powers a lot lately."

Cole didn't look back at me. "I can make us some stairs. No problem."

If he was sure, then I wouldn't stop him. Jay took the opportunity to approach my sister.

"Hey, um, are you okay?" He asked. His fingers never left his scarf.

Nya gave him a weak smile. "As okay as a girl can be after being possessed by the Overlord."

Jay shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Oh, well, I'm glad you're back, I mean, I–"

I tried to save him. "He was worried about you the whole time."

Nya looked at me and then back at Jay. This time her smile was genuine. "Thanks, but I'm alright. Really."

Jay smiled back. Cole finished his stairs and we began the assent back. I put my hand on Nya's shoulder as if I wasn't holding her, she would disappear again. We left the bathroom and found ourselves staring at a beautiful sunset.

It had been a really long day. We would have to tell the teachers about this and Master Wu…he would have to be reinstated back as headmaster, now that the Great Devourer had been stopped. But all that could wait. The four of us were tired, covered in grime, and been on rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I let the others into the Fire Dormitory, even though it was normally against the rules, I really didn't care right now. None of us felt like walking anymore. Jay curled up in an armchair, while Cole took up an entire couch that normally held four people comfortably. I lay on a plush rug near the fire. The heat felt good on my sore limbs. I closed my eyes. I could just drift away… Cold skin touched mine.

My eyes snapped open. Nya was lying next to me.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Of course," I said automatically. My sister used to come into my room if she had a nightmare. It had been years, but I had always left my door cracked, just in case. I let Nya snuggle until she got comfortable, and then I shifted a bit, but not too much. I didn't want to disturb her.

I didn't dream that night. I took it as a sign. We were safe at last.

* * *

AN: Yes! The Overlord is gone...or is he? You'll have to read more to find out. I will be wrapping up this book in the next chapter…but stay tuned as this will continue in Book Three…thanks for your support and reviews!


	11. Chapter 11-Recovery

Chapter 11: Recovery

* * *

The four of us stood in front all the teachers the next morning. After we told them the story of what happened, they sat in stony silence. Hutchins and Yang looked furious, while Mistaké, Borg, and Neuro looked displeased. Ronin didn't seem to care at all.

"Well boys," Mistaké said at last.

Nya shifted. "And girl," she muttered under her breath.

I hid my smile by looking down at the ground. I was glad my sister was regaining her old spirit back.

The old teacher didn't notice. "In the past 24 hours, you've probably broken over a dozen school rules."

The four of us shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, ma'am."

"And there is sufficient evidence to have you all expelled."

"But professor—" I protested.

"Silence!" Mistaké shouted. We all fell quiet, even the other teachers. "Therefore, it's only fitting…"

I held my breath. "…that you receive Special Awards for Services to the School."

I gasped and looked at the others. I couldn't believe it. Awards?

"Mistaké," Yang complained. "You can't really mean that."

The old teacher folded her arms. "Of course I do. These students have defeated a great evil that not even us adults could take care of. It is only fitting we award them for their bravery." She paused. "And I'm sure when Master Wu returns, he'll say the same."

The other teachers remained quiet, and I'm sure some of them disagreed, but I couldn't care less. I was just relieved none of us got expelled.

* * *

When Wu was reinstated and arrived a week later, he did say the same and gave us the awards personally. I placed my medal in my suitcase, where it hopefully couldn't be stolen. Chen was brimming with jealousy and I wouldn't put it past him to try and steal it from me.

Now, all that was left was for the Golden Plants to mature and for the victims to be cured. Fall seemed to purposefully stay out of reach, just to torture us. Homework kept us busy, but we could never forget that one of our library seats was empty.

I missed Zane, and not because my grades were suffering. He was a loyal friend. Someone you could always count on. His absence left a void in our lives. After summer break, fall was only a month away and my friends and I needed to come to an important decision.

"Should we tell Zane?" I asked the group.

"Tell him what?" Nya asked.

I flushed with embarrassment. "That he's, you know…"

"A machine?" Cole said bluntly.

"I think he has a right to know," Nya said.

"I guess," I replied.

"Why do you ask?" Cole questioned between bites of food.

I sighed. "It's life changing information. Do we have the right to break that kind of news to him?"

Jay shrugged. "Do you think he already knows he's an android?"

I looked at Jay. "And lie to us the whole time? That doesn't seem like Zane."

"Then we should probably tell him," Jay said.

I noted that he was also agreeing with my sister. The two of them had been getting awfully cozy after the whole Great Devourer incident.

"After all," Jay continued. "I would want to know if it was me."

That was a good point. For better or worse, Zane deserved the truth about himself. So the four of us agreed to tell him as soon as he woke up. The leaves were changing colors and the Golden Plants were finally beginning to ripen.

* * *

This was finally it. Wu announced at breakfast that the drought from the plants had been successfully created and the victims would be back to normal soon. My friends and I ran down to the infirmary to see for ourselves. Mistaké wouldn't let us come in though, until all the patients had been treated.

We sat outside the doors and waited. One by one the students came out the doors, looking healthier and brighter than they ever were before. Even Dareth came out with Goldie, who looked like she was ready to bite something, including her doting owner.

At last, Zane slid out into the hall. I stood up suddenly.

"You're okay!" I exclaimed as I enveloped my friend in a massive hug. He stiffened and blinked in surprise, then slowly returned my hug.

"We got your message," Cole said.

"You saved us, buddy," Jay added.

Zane smiled slowly. "I did?" He almost sounded surprised.

I stepped back. "Yes, you did," I affirmed.

We stood in silence for a moment, each of us waiting for the other to speak.

"What is it?" Zane asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Well…" I said slowly. "While you were out of it, we discovered something."

His brow furrowed in concern. "And?"

We all looked at each other. Nya nodded at me in encouragement.

"You're a android," I blurted out.

"What?" Zane asked, not comprehending.

"A machine," Jay explained.

Zane backed away from us. "It can't be…" he said.

Cole nodded. "It's true. Mistaké opened up your chest and it was all full of wires and things."

Zane went from shocked to horrified. "She did what?"

This wasn't going well.

"Maybe it would be best if we showed you," Nya suggested.

Zane froze, and momentarily hesitated, but then he undid the front of his kimono.

I searched for the panel Mistaké had lifted. It took a moment, but I found it. Zane's creator must have gone through a bunch of hoops to make sure no one would discover his secret.

Zane looked down at his metal insides in shock. "No," he kept saying. "It can't be." He gently fingered the wires in his chest, as if to make sure they were real. "This can't be," he repeated.

My heart ached for my friend. I didn't know what to say.

"You're still the same person as before," Cole said tentatively. "This doesn't change our friendship."

"Yeah!" Jay said, building off his statement. "In fact, it probably makes you a better wizard, with all the magic flowing through your wires."

Probably the wrong thing to say. Zane slumped to the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He didn't answer.

"Come to the feast with us," Nya suggested. "We can figure this out."

He shook his head. "You guys go ahead," Zane said. "I just don't feel right."

I felt terrible leaving my friend by himself, but there were something things people needed to work out on their own.

"Alright," I relented. "Come on guys," I said to the others.

We reluctantly went to the celebratory feast in honor of the revived students. It wasn't the same without our friend.

"I hope he'll be okay," Jay said.

"Sure he will," I said. "He just needs time." I said it as much for myself as for the others. I had to believe Zane would pull through. I had to.

* * *

The next day at lunch, I saw him sitting in his usual chair reading a book, with another by his side. I smiled. Maybe things would go back to normal after all. Then I caught a glance at the titles. One was about self-discovery and the other had something to do with machines.

"Zane?" I asked.

He didn't respond. I sighed. There seemed to be nothing I could do, until he was willing to open up again.

"Well, if you need someone to talk to, we're here for you," I told him, though I knew he couldn't—or wouldn't—hear me. We sat in the library together in silence.

The same pattern continued for one, painfully long week.

Then, one day, Jay to tried to break up the tension. "You guys ready for exams?"

I shrugged. "I guess. My grades have been dropping from B's to D's, so I don't know. I'll probably end up failing. You, Cole?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. I could use some help studying though."

Nya sighed loudly. "You guys are hopeless. I'm getting all A's and B's right now. All you have to do is pay attention and take good notes."

I shook my head. Nya had always been a great student. "What about you, Zane?"

I didn't want to leave him out, even though he was buried in his book. I don't think he heard me. "You ready for exams?"

Zane lifted his head and looked at me. "Yes," he replied flatly.

My hopes soared. This was the most communication we had had since the day we told him he was an android.

"Maybe you could help me out," I said hopefully. "I'm having trouble in Charms right now."

A pause. "Of course."

I looked at the others. Concern showed on all their faces. Zane was too detached.

Jay snapped. "Come on, buddy! We're your friends! Talk to us!"

Zane pulled his book up higher.

"You can't shut us out forever," Cole said.

"We're worried about you," Nya added.

"Zane, please," I begged.

Zane lowered his book. His face was expressionless. "Thank you for your concern," was all he said.

We all looked at each other again. I wished he could understand that we were there for him. But this was life changing news. To suddenly learn you weren't human…well, I don't know how I would respond myself. He just needed some more time.

* * *

I met Zane for my study session in the library that afternoon. He was already there, still reading his book.

"Hey," I said.

"Hello," Zane replied automatically.

He put down his book and started showing me how to cast charms and brushed up on my potions and transfiguration as well. He was doing a good job, but I could tell my friend's heart wasn't in it. His mind appeared to be elsewhere.

I closed my transfiguration book. He looked at me in surprise. "We have several more spells to review," he said.

I sighed. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"As your friend—" Zane started.

"As your friend, I say you should be able to do what you want," I insisted. "I know you've been upset since you found out that you were…" I tried to find the right word but failed. "…different," I finally said. "If you want to be alone you can. You don't have to help me or even sit with us at lunch."

Zane stood silently, absorbing what I was telling him. "You have done so much for me, that's why—"

I shook my head. "I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to be with us. We're your friends. We want to help you, but we're not going to force you to do anything."

Zane nodded. "I see."

I gave him some time to say something else. He never did. I took a deep breath and left him with one last thought.

"If you ever need us, we're here. Until then, do what you need to do, just know it won't be the same without you." I left the library to give Zane space.

* * *

He came into lunch the next day, but he didn't say much. I didn't go to another study session to try to give him some space. Instead, I met with Cole and Jay and we attempted to study together. Jay asked if I had talked to Zane lately. I told him about our conversation and he nodded.

"That makes more sense," Jay said.

"What does?" Cole asked.

"Zane was asking me a bunch of questions before I came over here," Jay answered.

I wondered what they had talked about, but Jay was not didn't give me any straight answers. He just shrugged and said things like, 'he asked about robots' and 'I made some jokes and Zane didn't laugh', which was not helpful.

At lunch, he continued to read his books and say very little. "You know you can talk to us, right?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. But he still was being very mysterious.

The next day, he didn't show up at all. The exams were tomorrow and Zane was nowhere to be found. My heart sunk and I had no appetite. I couldn't believe he had left us.

"We just got him back, and now he's farther away than ever," I commented.

Jay sighed loudly, but didn't say anything.

"Hello, friends," a voice said.

I turned around to see Zane holding two pies in his hands.

"I thought you left for good," Jay said.

Zane looked at him in surprise. "Why would I leave?"

"You've been withdrawing from us lately, so I thought…" I trailed off.

Zane shook his head. "I was making these pies for you. I have apple and cherry. Since tomorrow is the exams, I thought you would like them."

Cole rushed forward eagerly. "Yes please!"

Zane pulled out a knife from his kimono and cut Cole a generous slice of both. He ate them all in a flash.

"This is delicious," Cole exclaimed.

I tried some of the cherry, and I could tell it was not made by magic. Magical desserts tasted almost too sugary and perfect to be real.

"You said you made this yourself?" I said between bites.

Zane nodded.

Jay took a bite. "I didn't know you could cook," he said.

Zane shrugged. "I just picked it up."

"Well you should do it more often. This is amazing. Seriously," I said. I reached for a slice of the apple.

Zane smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

We ate in silence, except for noises of pleasure. Even Nya had seconds. "I'm glad you're back," I said. "I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry I worried you," he replied. "You are all my friends, and I want to thank you for staying with me."

We all smiled. "So are you good now?" Nya asked.

Zane nodded. "Yes, but after school ends, I'll have to confront my father. He kept the truth from me my whole life."

That must be rough. I put my hand on Zane's shoulder. "It'll be okay," I said. "We'll be right here by your side."

"Thank you," Zane said.

The five us stood together as friends, ready to take on the world. After this year, it seemed like nothing could stop us. We could handle Zane's father next year. We had become a family and nothing was going to separate us again.

* * *

The End.

AN: To be continued in Book 3: The Shadow of the Warlord. Thanks for your support!


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